The Myth of Falling Crime: Why Americans Don't Trust the Numbers

Townhall 

Every election season, mayors and governors step before cameras to boast that crime is down. Charts are waved, statistics cited, and carefully crafted talking points deployed to assure anxious citizens that their streets are safer than ever. Yet when you leave the press conference and walk the sidewalks of Baltimore, Chicago or Los Angeles, the reality feels far different. The gap between official numbers and lived experience is wide enough to swallow public trust whole.

The reason for this disconnect is simple: Most crime never gets reported in the first place. The Baltimore Sun recently highlighted what criminologists have known for decades -- about half of all crime in America isn't captured in police data. Burglaries are only reported 45% of the time. Simple assaults, 37%. Sexual assaults, a shameful 21%. Think about that for a moment: Nearly four out of five sexual assaults never reach the official record. Yet politicians still spin a story that safety is improving.

Why aren't Americans calling the cops? For many, it's because they believe the system won't deliver justice. Victims of property crimes often assume police won't recover stolen items. Domestic violence survivors fear financial ruin if their abuser is arrested. Immigrants worry that calling 911 might lead to a knock on the door from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In cities like Baltimore, there is a deeply rooted stigma against "snitching" that makes reporting crimes socially dangerous. And for those who simply distrust the police, staying silent feels safer than engaging.

Here's the political problem: Declining reported crime becomes the official narrative, but citizens' fear of crime continues to climb. Gallup recently noted Americans are near record highs in expressing concern about violent crime. This is not paranoia -- it's the rational conclusion of people who judge their safety not by government reports but by what they see in their neighborhoods, what they hear from friends, and what they experience personally.

The anecdote of Julian and Kristen Mack, attacked in Baltimore by a group of teenagers, is telling. They never called police because they feared the children might be shot. Another former Homeland Security Department official recounted being assaulted in a D.C. coffee shop but choosing not to report it because he believed nothing meaningful would happen to the mentally ill attacker. When even former law enforcement officers don't bother reporting crime, the legitimacy of the system is in question.

So what happens next? Officials trumpet lower homicides or robberies as proof of progress. They cut ribbons on new community initiatives and point to "data-driven policing" as evidence of reform. But residents quietly arm themselves, avoid walking alone at night, and lose faith in institutions meant to protect them. A society where people stop trusting the guardians of order is a society drifting toward vigilantism.

This is not just a policing issue -- it's a governance issue. A political class eager to tout success selectively leans on crime statistics that do not represent reality. Meanwhile, communities drowning in fear feel gaslit. That disconnect breeds cynicism, disengagement and eventually rage. It is one reason why "law and order" rhetoric resonates so powerfully in American politics. People know something is wrong, even if official numbers deny it.

Rebuilding trust requires a cultural and institutional shift. First, public safety leaders must stop treating crime statistics as political props. Transparency demands acknowledging the limits of reported data and the reasons victims stay silent. Second, cities must address why people don't report crime -- fear of retaliation, distrust of police, and inefficiencies in prosecution. This means deeper community policing, stronger witness protections, and reforms in how cases are handled.

Politicians must stop assuming that fear of crime is just an irrational voter quirk. Fear is a rational response to disorder. If a mother refuses to let her children play outside because drug dealers loiter on the corner, it does not matter if homicides are technically down 12%. Her world is not safe, and no statistic will convince her otherwise.

The lesson here is timeless: Statistics do not govern -- trust does. Crime numbers can be massaged, but fear cannot. If Americans no longer believe in the story their leaders are telling them, they will write their own -- and it will not be a story kind to those in charge.

Podcast and entertainment thread for Oct 9

 

If it's clearly all in your head, then it's all just in your head. Calm down, take a deep breath, and relaaaax.

Russia Is the New ‘Global Warming’

American  Thinker 

The nation of Georgia held local elections last weekend, and anti-E.U. candidates won roughly 80% of the votes.  Pro-E.U. rioters immediately attempted to invade the presidential palace and overthrow the government.  Militants waved brand-new E.U. flags as they set government buildings on fire.  Security services located weapons and explosives hidden away for use during the insurrection.  The Georgian government officially accused Brussels of inciting riots and attempting a coup d’état.  

Needless to say, this story is not getting much attention from corporate news media in the West.  When it is addressed, Western sources describe the insurrectionists and saboteurs as “pro-democracy” protesters.  It has become an established pattern over the last fifteen years that when leftist-globalists lose elections, they work to overthrow the legitimately elected governments...in the name of “democracy.”  In 2014, that’s exactly what happened in Ukraine.

A week before the Georgian elections, Moldova held national elections.   Moldova is a small former Soviet republic wedged between Ukraine and Romania.  For this reason, it has become a highly contested state that NATO and the E.U. would like to control.  From the perspective of Western observers, last week’s elections went the right way.  The pro-E.U. party won a parliamentary majority, and those parties that prefer closer relations with Russia lost.  European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen celebrated by telling Moldovans, “You made your choice clear: Europe.  Democracy.  Freedom.” 

What Western news sources gloss over, however, is that Moldova’s electoral commission banned political parties and candidates perceived as being “pro-Russia” from participating in the election.  In an effort to “fight Russian interference,” the pro-E.U. ruling government in Moldova rigged the election in its own favor.  In this way, Moldova simply followed Romania’s example from last year, when the latter annulled its own presidential election because a candidate perceived as being “pro-Russia” had unexpectedly won.  In the name of “democracy,” both Romania and Moldova have made sure that only pro-E.U. parties and candidates can participate in their “democracies.”

Will there ever come a point when Europe’s rigged elections are too preposterous for reasonable people to continue pretending that they are real?  Banning political parties and candidates from the democratic process undermines the entire concept of “democracy.”  In Germany, election authorities are still working to ban the conservative “Alternative for Germany” party, even though its popularity has surged across the country.  Ahead of local elections in September, seven “Alternative for Germany” candidates inexplicably died, leading one economist to call the string of deaths “statistically almost impossible.”  Even as it censors political speech and bans political candidates from office, Germany pretends to be a stalwart defender of “democracy.”

Across Europe, speaking out against illegal immigration is punishable as a “hate crime.”  In the United Kingdom, local constables make home visits to anyone who has been accused of “offending” strangers online.  Although they are not always arrested, “thought criminals” are “encouraged” to delete any “offending” posts.”  Those who refuse to apologize publicly are often brought down to the station for additional questioning.  Such intimidation tactics and assaults on free speech are not the exception, but the norm.  Last year, London’s Metropolitan Police chief threatened to extradite and jail American citizens for commenting on riots in the U.K.  Had Kamala Harris won the presidential election, U.S. authorities might well be working with British officials to accommodate the demands of Europe’s speech police.

The European Commission acts as the executive branch of the European Union.  It consists of twenty-seven commissioners who oversee the vast European bureaucracy.  The European Council, composed of the heads of government of the E.U. member-states, nominates a president for the Commission, who then must be formally elected by the European Parliament.  The president, currently Ursula von der Leyen, effectively leads the E.U., and the Commission is exclusively empowered to propose new E.U. laws.  

This kind of European government does not exactly scream “democracy,” does it?  It seems more like an institution specifically designed so that Europe’s aristocracy can ensure that one of its nobles rules over the continent.  The average Italian, Hungarian, Spaniard, Austrian, Pole, or Finn had no say in making Ursula von der Leyen the head of Europe, but nonetheless she rules over them all.  The European Union speaks the language of democracy, runs on bureaucracy, and functions as a hereditary aristocracy.  Still, every European politician claims to be acting in the interests of the people and against the scourge of authoritarianism emanating from Russia.

It is not difficult to see how much the European system has influenced the Democrat party in the United States.  Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton attempted to remove President Trump from office during his first term by accusing him of being a Russian spy.  Democrats running the FBI and CIA pretended Vladimir Putin had stolen the 2016 election.  Democrats running Silicon Valley tech companies censored conservative voices and accused MAGA speakers of engaging in “Russian collusion.”  Installed “president” Joe Biden accused Trump’s MAGA voters of being “domestic extremists” and “Russian sympathizers.”  Democrat secretaries of state attempted to remove President Trump from 2024 election ballots.  For ten years, Democrats have been trying to paint their chief political rivals as Russian stooges.

When they lose elections, Democrats follow Europe’s example, too.  They call the Trump administration “illegitimate.”  They riot in cities across the country.  They set buildings on fire, destroy businesses, and attack law enforcement officers.  Then the same corporate news publications that push pro-E.U. propaganda whitewash all the Democrat violence in America by describing Antifa terrorism as being “pro-democracy.”  According to the ruling classes in Europe and America, when leftist-globalists lose elections, it means that “democracy” has failed.  And when “democracy” fails, it means that leftist-globalists are permitted to engage in rebellion and insurrection.

Do you think there will ever come a time when the side that chooses censorship, the banning of political parties, and the barring of political candidates from elections will be able to admit that its methods have more in common with dictatorship than democracy?  Do you think leftist-globalists in Europe and the United States will ever be able to admit that not all political dissent is “Russian disinformation”?  Do you think the nobles who run the West will ever be capable of addressing their own domestic problems without blaming them on Russia and Vladimir Putin?  

When everything leftist-globalists don’t like is blamed on Russia, it makes me nostalgic for the first part of this century, when everything was simply blamed on “global warming.”

Beyond the Noise, We Are Winning Fundamental Victories

Townhall 

If you are on social media, or if you are watching the regime media, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of bullSchiff coming from the left. Now, it’s all AstroTurf; the social media stuff is all consultant-driven, and the regime media is, well, the regime media. But the regime media is changing regimes before our eyes; it is just that no one sees it because they are distracted by the current fight. Larger trends and a newfound testicular fortitude among conservatives are forcing significant and permanent changes to the structure of the left’s most vital ally, with a powerful downstream effect. Don’t swallow the black pill because leftists are screaming and howling like never before; it’s always dumbest and loudest before the dawn. And the new dawn is going to reveal a mainstream media landscape that is as different as the current social media landscape is today from what it was under Eggplant/President Biden.

Remember social media not long ago? It was a closed system controlled by the communist overlords – capitalists can be the worst communists – who conspired with the evil Biden cabal to suppress the speech of normal Americans about COVID, trans perverts, and everything else. But that’s all changed. Elon Musk, American hero, bought Twitter, made it X, and lifted the censorship rules. Its competitors were forced to follow suit, and that effect multiplied when Trump 2.0 came along (something that likely could not have happened without Twitter morphing into X) and started using the power of government against censorship instead of for it.

While Democrats still bombard X with nonsense bitching and moaning, we patriots dominate it. There are a thousand video clips of wizened Dem crones and sexually ambiguous male-identifying Dems talking about how TRUMP IS LITERALLY HITLER EVEN MORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY WHEN HE WAS ALSO LITERALLY HITLER. No one remembers a single clip; it’s all lame and all the same. But everyone remembers the ridiculous Hakeem Jeffries with his Frito Bandito moustache and cute lil’ sombrero. X is the right’s playground; the quantity of Bolshevik bellyaching can’t overwhelm the power of the right’s memes. Oh, they try; Gavin Hairstyle’s social media team of people who look and use pronouns exactly like you would think attempted to parody the Trump aesthetic, but can’t quite do it because their heart is not in it. You need a spirit of joy and a sense of humor to meme well, and these bitter, hate-filled losers are just too angry that daddy didn’t love them that they can’t make it happen funny-wise.

We own social media. Memed JD Vance at his most outrageous is always preferable to the high-pitched squealing of the Harry Sissons about Trump being mean to criminals.

Now, it’s the mainstream media’s turn. The regime media is going to change. The first reason is that we’re woke to just how evil it is. There was a time when most Republicans cared what the NY Times or ABC said. They granted these institutions respect. Not us hardcore folks; we always knew exactly what the regime media was. Well, now the truth we have been telling is undeniable. Except for the most impotent of the GOP cellblock submissive caucus (Hi Jimmy Lankford!), Republicans treat the mainstream media like what it is – our enemy. If they go on “Face the Press with George Snuffleupagus” or whatever, it’s to mock the dullard hostess and generate viral clips of her humiliation.

At the same time Republicans accepted that the regime media was simply a Democrat adjunct, structural forces started cutting into its influence. Remember newspapers? They are now just another website. Remember the three networks? Your kids have literally never seen them – they are now the province of aging-out boomers who still watch the news, waiting for the next episode of “NCIS: Des Moines” or “Law and Order: Special Straight White Conservative Christian Male Criminal Unit.” 

The loss of respect by conservative normals and GOP pols, its dwindling audience, combined with Trump’s aggressiveness in using our political and other power against it, means curtains for the regime media as we knew it. Trump has forced tens of millions of dollars out of them in settlements. Right-wing pressure got Jimmy Kimmel booted for a week; none of his defenders are talking about his current ratings because they are back in the Schiffer. Clearly, the regime media’s corporate owners have gotten worried and decided that perhaps making blood enemies of half of America was a poor idea. 

Two recent events are indicators of the trend. The first involves The Washington Post. It’s fired a lot of its lefty hacks, but as hilarious as it is that these journos are being forced to learn to code (only to be denied work by the H-1B foreigners they once shilled for), the real tell was in a recent editorial about the shutdown. I won’t link it because they get nothing from us, but in that editorial, they pointed out that the Affordable Care Act never actually provided affordable care. Their editorial board committed the heresy of questioning Obamacare! Something new is afoot.

Then, CBS News hired Bari Weiss as its editor-in-chief. Well, the news division did not; she was forced on it by corporate. The staff is aghast, though it cannot question her credentials, as she came from The New York Times before quitting in disgust. Now, Weiss is no Republican, and she is certainly not MAGA, but she personally suffered persecution for refusing to yield to the party line on perverts, Israel, and censorship. She plans to pay special attention to “60 Minutes,” the once mighty institution that has been disgracing itself with the depth and intensity of its Democrat shilling for decades. The old guard is huffing and puffing and strutting around in its skin suit, but they are done. Weiss is going to make CBS News, if not a right-wing outlet, at least not a left-wing one. She will not only cut out the bias, but she will force the broadcast of facts and stories unfavorable to Dems. It’s what they do not cover that is as harmful as what they cover falsely; ask the regime media fans in your life if they know about the crazy kid killer-fantasy Virginia attorney general candidate. They sure would if he were a Republican.

And that’s huge. You see, CBS News – while greatly diminished – remains the primary news source for millions of Americans of crustiness. It’s what old people watch. And who is turning out at these rallies and town halls and who always votes because they have nothing else to fill their empty lives with but politics? Old boomers. No, not all of them, but a lot of them. These soft-headed dorks have been thoroughly indoctrinated. Moreover, they have been kept in the dark about the facts that show the Democrat Party for what it is – a race communist crime family full of fatties, freaks, and naggy wine women. But now, they will get something at least marginally akin to the truth.

The decline of the regime media, like the revolution in social media, is a critical trend. It is fundamental, one of the most important things happening now, and one that will have effects that echo in the future. But no one is talking about it. This long-term strategic campaign to break up the infrastructure of our enemy is overshadowed by day-to-day tactical engagements. Now, that’s good, because while the left is spazzing out over sombreros, it is not fighting back against the restructuring of its most powerful ally. Shhhhh. Don’t tell them. When one day they wake up and the regime media no longer works for their regime, let it be a surprise.

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Part IV – Covering Up the Biggest Political Scandal in U.S. History

Conservative  Treehouse 

Thankfully, people in Washington DC are finally starting to realize the full scale of the Obama surveillance system. All of the evidence and datapoints -released and yet to surface- flow in one direction. Even the professionally reluctant are starting to admit.

What Obama, Biden, Comey, Crossfire Hurricane, Robert Mueller, Arctic Frost and Jack Smith were doing, was using their offices -and govt systems- to watch their opposition, spy on them, then take action based on the results.

Friend of the Treehouse John Spiropoulos put together a series of videos explaining how President Obama, FBI Director James Comey and CIA Director John Brennan constructed a coverup to hide their political surveillance operation. Today, the 5th segment is wrapped into a total video containing all segments in the series.

Rumble Link Here – YouTube Link Here

From the perspective of Obama, Comey and Brennan, expanding Hillary Clinton’s Trump-Russia collusion narrative was the key element to hide the activity of the administration prior to the November 2016 election.  That’s the motive for the FBI and CIA to collaborate on the agenda after the shocking outcome of the 2016 election result; but pay close attention to the activity of the primary “at risk” official, James Comey.

The December ’16 Joint Analysis Report (JAR), and the January ’17 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), were fabricated to enhance a spying coverup. Spiropoulos has taken the time to put the deconstruction of the ICA into a simple to follow video format.

From a risk management perspective, initially the surveillance and spying operation was a low-risk endeavor.  Obama held power and was going to hand off operations to Hillary. The Clinton administration would retain the officials who were doing the surveillance/spying, and no one would ever know.

Donald Trump was not expected to win the election.  When he did, all of the participants were suddenly at risk. President Obama and every member of his cabinet involved in the spying operations, then used Clinton’s “Russiagate” smear to cover up Obama’s “Spygate” activity.

The IRS was used to identify targets 2010 through 2012, until discovered in April ’12. Suddenly, President Obama has a problem. President Obama then sends his Chief of Staff, Jack Lew, to run the IRS and block discoveries around the IRS weaponization.

♦ From 2012 through April 2016, the Obama administration was spying on their political opposition using the FBI to conduct surveillance through their access to the NSA database.

♦ In April 2016, NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers was alerted by the NSA compliance officer who noted the uptick in database access activity by the FBI searching the Republican primary candidate field.

♦ Post April 2016, the Obama administration had a problem. Enter FBI operation “Crossfire Hurricane,” July 2016, in an effort to remove the political risk.

♦ October 2016, the FBI rushes a FISA application through the FISC, circumventing the missing ‘Woods File’, with the Chris Steele dossier as evidence.

♦ October 2016, NSA Director Rogers sends the first official notification of the FBI using the NSA database to the oversight body, the FISA Court.

♦ December 2016, worried about Trump now discovering the NSA database spying, the Obama administration wraps the Clinton smear into official policy, blaming the Russians and validating Crossfire Hurricane. That’s where the Intelligence Community Assessment becomes critical.

♦ May 2017, needing to extend the coverup of the FBI activity, special counsel Robert Mueller then takes over Crossfire Hurricane. All FBI evidence and personnel transfers to Mueller.

♦ April 2019, Robert Mueller operation wraps up, prior activity coverup shifts to Impeachment process.

♦ July 2019, John Durham kicks in extending DOJ/FBI control through 2020 election.

♦ Fall 2020, mail-in ballots triggered to facilitate 2020 election outcome.

♦ January 2021, FBI triggers Operation Arctic Frost, targeting Trump supporters and 2020 election researchers. FBI again using NSA database search queries to identify targeting.

♦ March 2021, FBI Arctic Frost results fed to J6 Committee and DHS. TSA trigger “Quiet Skies” targeting via results from Arctic Frost.

♦ August 2022, FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago to retrieve any evidence Donald Trump might have of FBI spying and surveillance activity.

♦ September 2023, Jack Smith targets congressional members who had contact with President Trump.

It’s one long continuum of coverup activity within Main Justice and the FBI, supported by all other various agencies who operate in support. What are they covering up? The 2012 through 2016 political spying operation within the Obama administration, as carried out by the same Main Justice and FBI operations.

Rancho San Pedro Street Gang Members Arrested on Federal, State RICO Charges

Townhall 

Multiple federal and state arrest and search warrants were served on Tuesday by hundreds of law enforcement personnel targeting members and associates of one of the most active and violent gangs in the Los Angeles Harbor area, known as “Rancho San Pedro." 

A multi-year investigation by the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations led to the identification of numerous RSP subjects. RSP is allegedly responsible for violent crime around the Los Angeles Harbor area.

Eight of 14 individuals charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court were taken into custody today, as well as five defendants who are facing state charges by the Los Angeles County District Attorney. In addition, nine federal search warrants and eight state search warrants were executed at locations in the San Pedro area.

“I’m proud of the years of hard work that went into this case by investigators at the federal and local level to target the upper echelon of this extremely violent gang,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s actions will cause a significant setback to Racho San Pedro and their Mexican Mafia overlords and lead to safer streets for San Pedro residents.” 

The Rancho San Pedro Enterprise is a multi-generational gang with a current estimated membership of about 500 people who are divided into approximately six subsets or “cliques,” including two female cliques. RSP originated in the 1970s and claims the city of San Pedro as its territory.  RSP operates under the control of Mexican Mafia members who are incarcerated in California state prisons, and RSP members make payments known as “taxes” to the Mexican Mafia in return for their protection. Gang members who violate RSP or Mexican Mafia rules are subject to “discipline” in the form of assault.  Serious violations, including cooperation with law enforcement, may result in death, according to the complaint. 

“Our Harbor Division investigators, working closely with the FBI and HSI, methodically built a case to expose those directing this criminal enterprise,” said LAPD Chief of Police, Jim McDonnell. “This operation delivers a powerful message—we will use every tool available to protect our communities and bring violent offenders to justice.” 

The federal complaint charges thirteen defendants for their roles in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Conspiracy and for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances. The complaint also charges a fourteenth defendant for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

“Today’s takedown highlights my office’s commitment to making America safe by dismantling violent street gangs,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Together with our federal and local partners, we can make our communities safe for law-abiding citizens.”

The targets of the RICO conspiracy and others participated in the RSP Enterprise in a variety of ways. Some would issue orders from prison on behalf of the Mexican Mafia. These orders include the collection of taxes, drug distribution, firearms transfers, and decisions about who held what positions within the RSP.

“These arrests prove the power of partnerships,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “When law enforcement agencies collaborate, we are able to take violent offenders and illegal weapons off our streets. These arrests demonstrate our commitment to restoring safety and trust in every community, especially those that have suffered the most from gang violence. Working with our federal and local partners, we have sent an unequivocally clear warning to violent street gangs—the chance of getting caught and the dire prison consequences for your actions have gone way up. Continue at your own peril.”

Others committed or conspired to commit acts of violence to preserve and expand RSP’s criminal operations, as well as to enhance their own status within the gang. Others engaged in drug trafficking, robbery, and extortion to generate revenue for the enterprise or would illegally maintain firearms and ammunition. Still others would possess, use, and carry firearms—or direct others to—in order to commit and threaten acts of violence, including conspiracies to commit murder and assault.

“This investigation and today’s operation is just another example of how effective partnerships in policing make the communities that we serve safer,” said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “HSI and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners are committed to targeting the most violent gangs in the Southland.”

Members of the conspiracy possessed with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and phencyclidine. The complaint, which is expected to be unsealed today, details specific allegations attributed to the defendants. 

“Organized criminal enterprises cannot stand up to the power of good law enforcement work,” said Attorney General Bonta. “When we work together, we get results: As a result of this collaborative investigation, we’ve taken illegal weapons and dangerous drugs like fentanyl and heroin off our streets and kept our Los Angeles communities safe from the threat of violence. I'm grateful for the hard work our Special Operations Unit and the tireless efforts of our local and federal law enforcement partners on this operation, together we are working to make California safer for all.”

If convicted of the charges in the criminal complaint, most of the federal defendants face a statutory maximum of life in prison.   

This investigation was conducted by the FBI, the LAPD, HSI, and the California Department of Justice. Multiple tactical teams participated in today’s operation, to include the LAPD, the Torrance Police Department, HSI’s Special Response Team, FBI S.W.A.T. teams from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego, and the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team.

The federal defendants will make an appearance in United States District Court this afternoon. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelsey A. Stimson and Claire E. Kelly with the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting the federal defendants.

Chicago Street Gang Member Charged With Placing $10,000 Bounty to Kill Federal Agent

Townhall 

A ranking member of a Chicago street gang has been charged in federal court with soliciting the murder of a senior law enforcement official involved in the immigration enforcement operation known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”

A criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, of Chicago, with one count of murder-for-hire. 

Martinez was arrested and awaits his initial appearance in federal court.

Court documents say that Martinez is a ranking member of the Latin Kings, a street gang that has engaged in acts of violence and other illicit activities in Chicago and elsewhere.  

Martinez stated in a Snapchat message, “2k on information when you get him” and “10k if u take him down,” the complaint states. Included in the message was a photo of the senior law enforcement official, who has recently participated in immigration enforcement operations in Chicago on behalf of the U.S. Border Patrol, an agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the complaint states.

Martinez Complaint by scott.mcclallen

“Placing a bounty on the head of a federal officer is an attack on the rule of law and on every American who depends on law enforcement to keep them safe,” said Deputy Attorney General Blanche.  “This case is exactly what we mean when we say Take Back America - taking back every neighborhood and street corner from violent thugs and criminal gangs and returning them to the law-abiding members of our communities.  The Department of Justice will never allow violent gangs or criminal networks to target those who protect our borders and our communities.  We will use every authority, every resource, and every partnership at our disposal to bring anyone who threatens or harms our officers to justice - swiftly and decisively.”

The complaint and arrest were announced by Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General, Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew J. Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago.

“Putting a price on the life of a law enforcement officer is a line that can never be crossed,” said Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  “The defendant’s actions in this case demonstrate a profound contempt for human life and public safety.  Under my leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago will hold defendants accountable for their grave criminal actions and ensure that no federal officer has to fear for their life for doing their job."

Scarpino welcomed the charges. 

“The arrest of this ruthless and violent member of the Latin Kings, a criminal organization notorious for its cruelty and disregard for the law, highlights the steadfast commitment of Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners to protect our communities and those who uphold justice,” said Scarpino.  “Targeting a senior federal officer is a brazen and direct assault on the rule of law, and HSI will remain persistent in dismantling violent gangs like the Latin Kings that threaten public safety.”

An Epidemic of Sleazy Fake News Is Denying Riots, Violence in Portland

RedState 

Portland, Oregon, is not only Antifa Central, but it seems to be the primary focus for left-wing agitators of every stripe. For weeks now, Antifa and their fellow useful idiots have been laying nightly siege to the Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility there, and it's looking like the Trump administration has had more than enough. On Tuesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited Portland, and she appears to have told more than a few people, "Enough is enough."

But that doesn't stop the usual suspects from emulating that famous internet meme wherein a character is sitting in a chair, a wide-eyed expression on his face, intoning "This is fine, everything is fine" as the room is in flames all around.

Case in point: Oregon's Democratic (of course) Senator Jeff Merkley, who appeared in a Fox News clip and produced a huge outpouring of the stuff I used to shovel out of my uncle's livestock auction barn when I was a kid.

The Senator said:

And what happened in Portland a few nights ago, and it's recorded by Oregon Public Broadcasting, was that they staged a fake riot. They marched peaceful protestors three blocks, and then had a line across the road. They had professional videographers behind them. And then they threw down pepper balls, and flash bangs, which sound like gunfire going off, and tear gas. And of course, when you put tear gas, everybody moves, and it looks like you have some kind of a riot going on. Totally fake. This is the first time I know of, at least in my lifetime, that the federal government has faked a riot, in order to try to justify, if you will, the Insurrection Act being invoked.

Senator. Stop lying. A White House press release has already put the lie to your statement.

Of course, Portland’s own citizens — betrayed by their leaders — are sounding the alarm loud and clear, demanding action while the Fake News turns a blind eye:

• “It’s like a war zone. There are times I’ve had to have a gas mask on inside my own home,” says a resident near the ICE facility under siege in south Portland. “[Deploying the National Guard] is one thing I support, as far as Trump is concerned, because the city is failing us and I don’t want to feel like I’m collateral damage — and my rights matter, too.”
• “115 days of hell. I only come out during the day. You see all the black-covered Antifa people aren’t here. They come with the night,” says another Portland resident. “In the daytime, it’s all these little old senior people that think they’re changing the world before they pass from this earth.”
• “Yesterday morning, I was broken into again for the tenth time,” says a business owner in downtown Portland. “We need help here and something needs to be done, so if [the National Guard] is what we need to do to get our leaders paying attention to what’s happening in Portland, then I think it’s a good thing. We’ve been struggling for a long time — since 2020.”

See for yourself. Like this one:

And this:

There's more:

These are the people affected by the legacy media and Democrats' (but I repeat myself) lying about the situation in Portland. 

Senator Merkley is lying about the faked riot. There are real riots, nightly, happening in Portland. Regular citizens and business owners are being hit hard by these lawless mobs. This is an insurrection, nothing but, and it's about time it was dealt with - not only in Portland, but anywhere a mob assembles in defiance of civil authorities.

It's time for Senator Merkley in particular, and Democrats in general, to stop lying and admit what the rest of the country is already aware of: Portland is out of control.

Trump Directs Cabinet to Designate Antifa As a Foreign Terrorist Organization

RedState 

President Trump capped off today's White House "Roundtable on Antifa" with an order to his cabinet to take steps to designate Antifa as a "foreign terrorist organization." The Roundtable included a wide variety of testimony on Antifa's activities, and my colleague Jennifer Oliver O'Connell has all the details in Trump Brings National Attention to Domestic Terrorism With a 'Roundtable on Antifa' at WH – RedState.

Trump summed up the meeting like this:

REPORTER: Are you going to work with your administration as the Secretary of State, here, are Are you going to work with your administration to designate it a foreign terror organization?

TRUMP: Antifa?

REPORTER: A foreign terror organization.

TRUMP (addressing someone at the table): Well has that been done? Pretty close, right? Would you like to see it done?

[MARCO RUBiO, I think]: Yes, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Do you think it would help?

[RUBIO]: They have foreign [unintelligible] all across Western Europe…

TRUMP: I think it’s the kind of thing I’d like to do. [Turns to someone else] Do you agree? If you agree, I agree, let’s get it done. Okay, let’s get it done. Marco will take care of it.

REPORTER: Mr. President…

TRUMP: That’s international, you mean, international… Sounds good to me.

REPORTER:  Foreign terror organization.

TRUMP: Steve, you okay with it?

STEPHEN MILLER: Yes, it’s true there are extensive foreign ties and I think that would be a very valid step to take.

TRUMP: I think so, too.

This has been a long time coming. As I documented in Antifa Might Have Cooked Its Own Goose – RedState, the narrative the left tries to push that Antifa is an "idea," and doesn't have an organization, is patent hogwash. Websites have contact phone numbers in several counties for people who wish to affiliate with Antifa. Some of the domestic Antifa chapters have membership applications, something that very few ideas do. The video from Portland, Oregon, and Broadview, Illinois, clearly demonstrates that there is a chain of command among the rioters. The fact that ICE agents confronted a complex attack in Illinois over the weekend (ICE Agents Come Under Large Scale Coordinated Assault in Illinois; One Attacker Wounded by ICE – RedState) shows the groups have some organization, training, and reconnaissance capabilities.

Trump has already designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization (President Trump Makes It Official: Antifa Are Domestic Terrorists – RedState), but this is more of a symbolic move than one with real consequences. Labeling them an international terrorist organization brings a world of pain with it.

It would open Antifa's finances and communications to state-of-the-art monitoring and bring terrorism enhancements to all convictions. The thought of going through life with a terrorism conviction will deter many of the casual street soldiers.

This is a long-overdue move, and I hope Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Patel make it their top priority.